


Dungeons and Dragons Disasters

by RueSinger



Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game)
Genre: Bard - Freeform, Druids, Dungeons and Dragons, Homebrew, Human, Multi, OC, OCs - Freeform, Original Character - Freeform, Original Characters - Freeform, Sorceress, Tieflings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-25
Updated: 2018-07-24
Packaged: 2019-06-15 23:14:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 7,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15423768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RueSinger/pseuds/RueSinger
Summary: So I love Dungeons and Dragons and my friends and I like writing fanfics about our characters. Talnah and Nezzy are two of mine and the others are my friends. Que and I also post these on our Tumblr @queandrue. Que has some up too and you can go read some of her works on there as well~! I hope you enjoy, there's a little bit of everything :)





	1. The Knight and the Apple Seller

**Author's Note:**

> Request from je11oprodigy (aka the DM)  
> Sildar x whatever the heck just make my boy happy please and thanks <3

Warmth enveloped Sildar’s body as the sun wrapped him in her warm blanket. She seemed happy today as she blessed all of her children with light. A light breeze kissed his cheek and played with the hair on the back of his neck. It was as if they wanted to tell him something, but they were too giddy to get the words out.

A sigh left the man’s lips. He couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day to travel to a market, where the bards played, and the laughter of children rang throughout the streets. He walked over to the nearest stand and examined the merchant’s fruits.

“Is there anything I could assist you with today sir?” a burly man asked. He had dark twinkling eyes, jet black hair, a beard that covered the lower part of his face, and olive skin. Sildar thought for a moment before picking up one of the brightest, reddest apples he could find. 

“I’ll take a dozen of these. I’m going on quite the journey and need to stock up where I can when I can.”

The merchant let out a sigh. Longing appeared to fill his eyes. “Ah to be young and full of life,” he said, “I myself miss my own glory days of adventure and wonder. Those are days you’ll look back on and retell the children of your village fondly my boy. Gods I wish I could relive them.” After a moment of silence, the man seemed to remember that Sildar was there. He grabbed a small burlap sack and started to fill it with apples.   
“Please forgive me boy. I’m just a man who relishes living in the past and gets lost in his own fantasies.”

“No no! It’s alright, really,” Sildar smiled, “In fact I’d love to hear some of your stories sometime. Perhaps I could travel back this way when I’m going home. I wouldn’t mind staying in such a cozy area for a while.” The smile on the stranger’s face felt as warm as the sun to Sildar. Making those around him feel good gave him immense pleasure. The world needed more good, and he swore to deliver it where it was needed. Maybe, just maybe, one day he’d live to see the world at peace. No more wars to be fought, people starving, or families broken apart. If he could contribute to that world, even in the smallest of ways, he’d be satisfied. “I am Sildar, I don’t believe I caught your name sir.”

“Godfree. Thomas Godfree. I’d be more than happy to hear what stories you bring back with you boy, and our village would be more than delighted to have you!” Thomas smiled, tying off the burlap sack. The two men exchanged money, apples, and a few more words in that moment. For a minute, Sildar didn’t want to leave. As he looked around he noticed that the other venders had the same friendly faces as Thomas, the music of the bard was gorgeous, children squealed with delight as they played, and he had made a new friend. However, the work of an adventurer was never done, and he had a quest to complete. So he decided, in that moment, no matter what happened he would return to this marketplace and to the people of this village.

“It has been a pleasure meeting you Thomas. I will be sure to return soon so we can swap stories,” Sildar assured.

“Safe travels boy! I will be keeping you to your promise!” Thomas called, waving to Sildar as he left the stall.

Little did either know, they both left a little more to help the other on their own separate journeys.


	2. First Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So je11oprodigy and I have these two characters called Nezzy and Cal... And we ship them super hard. The next couple will be kind of short because she wanted some little drabbles with them in it ;)

Nezzy could feel the newcomer’s eyes on her no matter where she walked in the inn. She didn’t dare take her chest plate off. She didn’t trust him enough not to. Red hair reflected her fiery nature, and the golden mask covering her face added to her intimidation, making people move out of her way left and right. Sid had informed her that the stranger was here due to some sort of blackmail, and that he’d be taking his leave soon. The tabaxi seemed to despise the man, and that made Nezzy extra wary.

She’d been walking down a corridor when a small noise caught her ear. Quickly, the scourge aasimar whipped around, and slammed the man’s hand to the wall. Fifty-two cards fell to the floor, like leaves from a tree. Her eyes bore into him from behind her mask and a growl escaped her lips, “Why are you following me?”

The man’s eyes were wide, she could sense the fear leaking from his being. He coughed and tried to put on a smile. “Hello Miss! I, I uh, I couldn’t help but notice you when you entered the tavern’s common area and I thought to myself, ‘Hey! There looks like a gal that might enjoy a card trick or two!’ So I decided to approach you and see if you might like to… to uh… To see what wonderful tricks I have to offer!” the man rambled. Nezzy could only raise her eyebrow. Usually people started begging for their lived by now… But this man was talking to her about cards.

“You must realize how suspicious you sound right now,” she frowned, but letting him go nonetheless. Despite the mistrust she harbored, she could sense that the man was no threat to her, “What is your name?”

The man stared at her, seemingly dumbfounded, “My… Name?”

Nezzy crossed her arms.

“Oh of course! My name!” he laughed, “You can call me Cal. Now I believe it’s only fair of me to ask what a beautiful lady such as yourself may be called.”

Nezzy was silent for a moment, debating on what she should do, “You can call me Nezzy.” He didn’t need to know her real name. Not yet anyways. Her comrades knew her as Nezzy as well.

“Nezzy,” she heard Cal whisper. He seemed fixated on her name, but she couldn’t understand why. Then he bent down and picked up his cards. “Alright Ms. Nezzy! Pick a card! Any card!” he proclaimed, thrusting the cards at her. She stared at him before slowly picking up one of the cards, “Study it closely okay? Then put it back.”

Once she placed the card back into the pile, Cal started to shuffle the deck. He wiggled his fingers over the cards, smirking at the woman. Suddenly, he grabbed one of the cards and displayed it proudly to her. “Is this your card?”

Nezzy stared at the card for what seemed to be an eternity. Then, she slowly met Cal’s gaze.

“No.”

Cal’s face dropped, “Fuck. Wait wait wait. Let me try again! Pick another card! I promise I’ll get it right this time.”

Nezzy sighed and did as he asked. Something told her this man wasn’t going away any time soon….


	3. The Proposal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another drabble for the lovely je11oprodigy~

Nezzy laid her head on Cal’s chest. She could hear the steady beat of his heart.

Lub Dub.

Lub Dub.

Lub Dub.

It was lulling to her. Her mask rested on the table and her silver eyes shimmered every now and again. For once, the scourge aasimar actually appeared calm and content. She closed her eyes and let out a small sigh. She could feel Cal’s fingers gently coming through her hair. This was a feeling she’d never tire of. Cal.

Currently he was shuffling through his cards. He seemed nervous, but Nezzy didn’t really understand why. He had no reason to be nervous around her any more. They had moved past that, or at least, that’s what she thought. “Why are you so fidgety? We can go out and spar. That will be guaranteed to take some of that energy out of you. It’s what my siblings and I did whenever we were nervous about something.”

Cal laughed and shook his head, “No no… I um… Actually.” He let out a sigh, “Would you mind picking a card? There’s this… New trick I want to try.”

Nezzy raised a curious eyebrow, but she did as he asked, “Alright Mr. Fidget Fingers. I’ll pick a card.” She roughly snatched a card from the deck and stared at it. The Queen of Diamonds. She put the card back and smirked, “If you cheat, I’ll rip your spine from your body and wear it as a necklace.” Of course, that was just the aasimar’s way of jest.

“I know you would,” Cal laughed, starting to shuffle the cards. He almost dropped the deck a few times, which Nezzy found odd. Was he really that nervous about getting a silly little trick right? Suddenly, he threw the cards about the room, startling Nezzy a bit.

“Why did you-?”

“Shhhhh. Close your eyes.”

Nezzy was still confused, but she did as Cal asked, letting her eyes close. She one of his hands stroke a strand of her red hair before wrapping around her. “Open your eyes,” he whispered.

What Nezzy saw shocked her. In front of her was a ring with one of the biggest diamonds she’d ever seen. She didn’t know where or how he got it, but she didn’t care.

“Nezzy…. Ara, would you-?”

She didn’t even let him finish. She wrapped her arms around him and pressed her lips against his. When she pulled away, she flipped the two of them over, lifting Cal into the air and laughing. “Of course you moron! How could I answer any other way?” A smile stretched across her face, she couldn’t help herself. She was so happy! How could she not be happy? “For a while, I thought that I was going to have to be the one to propose!”

Cal laughed, he looked so relieved, Nezzy thought that he might actually cry for a moment. “I could never do that to you My Angel,” he said, pulling himself back down to meet Nezzy for another kiss. “You are the most wonderful angel I could’ve ever asked for.”


	4. Questions in the Night

Talnah couldn’t sleep. She tossed and turned in her bed before finally giving up. She huffed and sat up. Looking at each of her comrades. Tonight, they were lucky enough to find an inn to stay in. Robin sat by the window, Ea had fallen asleep in a chair clutching her bagpipes, and Sildar slept in the bed opposite of hers. Quietly, Talnah had decided to grab the key to the room and slip out, but not before wrapping her coat around herself.

She slipped down the stairs into the common room and looked around. It seemed so quiet compared to how busy it had been during the day… Of course a few drunks were still passed out at some of the tables, but she didn’t believe they would bring her any harm. The purple tiefling chose a rather comfortable seat by a window and stared out at the moon. It was so bright and beautiful…. She couldn’t help but think of her family.

How were Mother and Papa fairing without her? Did they miss her? How were they doing with all of the state affairs? Did they have someone to watch the house while they were away? She had so many questions and so little answers. She rested her head on her cheek and sighed.

Then there were questions about her birth family….

Talnah knew she was adopted. Her parents had told her at a young age. She had hoped that one day she’d get to meet her birth parents, but she’d never had any luck. It was as if they had disappeared into the wind of the night as soon as they had dropped Talnah off on the steps of the noblemen, crying and defenseless. Why had they left her? Had they not wanted her or was something more sinister in the works? Did she have any siblings? What was her family like? Not that she didn’t love the parents she had, but it was impossible not to wonder about the life she hadn’t gotten to know.

She stared up at the moon, as if it would give her some sort of answer, but all the moon did was stare back.

Perhaps she could go and pick flowers for her friends, so that they could have a nice surprise when they woke up. She could weave each of them a crown and put a smile on their faces… Yes. That seemed like a good idea.

Talnah smiled and roused herself from the chair, walking out of the inn to collect some flowers that she had seen nearby. Maybe she would fall asleep while weaving flowers.


	5. Dealing with Grief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ..... Je11oprodigy is also the DM for one of my campaigns and likes to see me suffer :) ..... Sildar's death hasn't occured in our campaign, but she wanted me to write a 'what if?' scenario.

Everyone handles grief in different ways. It’s only natural. Some are vocal about their grief, while others remain quiet. This fact remains true across the board for all species, even tieflings. However, Talnah and Ea hadn’t expected that they’d have to deal with the loss of their comrade so soon.

Talnah hadn’t stopped crying since the funeral. She had been a wreck since Sildar died. Growing up in a noble household, she had never experienced such heartache before. It was unbearable, and she didn’t want to deal with it. It was because of Sildar that she felt she belonged somewhere. All of his stories and tales of Waters Deep gave her hope that she would finally belong somewhere. Hearing about how much he adored their tiefling leader actually made Talnah think that she wouldn’t feel like such an outsider there. Talnah was supposed to go to Waters Deep with Sildar, he was supposed to go back to the home he loved so much. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair that he was going back in a casket. It wasn’t fair that she had to watch them put him in the ground. It wasn’t fair that-

Another sob tore itself from her throat. Talnah knew that her comrades could probably hear her, but she refused to let them in. She didn’t want them to see her. She didn’t want them to ask questions. If they did everything would pour out like a waterfall. All of her fears, concerns, and worries. They didn’t need that. The only one she’d be comfortable with was Sildar….Maybe…. But now….

All she could do now was pray to the gods that they’d take care of him. Talnah was desperate for some form of relief, for some form of comfort. It didn’t seem like any would ever come. She buried her face in her soaked pillow and tried to stop the tears from falling. The young tiefling didn’t think that she’d ever forget Sildar. She didn’t want to. The heart could only take so much and Talnah’s was at its breaking point. She wanted the gods to take the ache away, to take her tears away, to take her pain away.

Could she have done anything different?

Could she have saved Sildar?

No. Nonononono. This couldn’t have been her fault. There was no way this was her fault. The man who killed Sildar was a fault. His face haunted her dreams. The way his sword came down on Sildar and-

Her spell had come too late. The man went flying back, but damage had already been done. She hated that man…. She hated him more than anything. Talnah had never felt hate before, she never wanted to experience it but he had taken that from her too. That man had taken so much from her and she didn’t know if she could ever forgive him….

Talnah lifted her head from the pillow and wiped her eyes. She knew her friend would want her to move on, to be happy, but it wasn’t easy. She wasn’t sure how long they were going to be staying here, but she hoped it would be long enough for her to heal a little. The gods knew she needed time to heal.

With shaky legs she walked over to a mirror and looked at her reflection. It was painfully obvious that she had been crying. Her normally bright yellow eyes were glassy and bloodshot, her cheeks were tear-streaked, and her hair was a rat’s nest.

The teeth of her brush cut through her hair like that knife cutting her heart into pieces. She flinched every now and again, but eventually her hair was looking a little better. Maybe she could go dancing tomorrow…. Dancing was fun. She thought back to a night when they were all dancing at a tavern. She couldn’t remember the name of the tavern or the faces in the crowd, but Sildar’s laugh rang clear in her mind. She could describe exactly how his eyes sparkled, the way his shoes clicked against the floor, how his smile curled up perfectly at the edges. As the memory replayed in her head, a smile found its way onto Talnah’s face, and a single tear drop hit the bureau.

She would always missed him, gods she would never stop missing him, but she could always keep him in her memories. There she could always cherish him and remember who he was. He was a noble man who loved his home and everyone he came into contact with. He wanted the best for everyone, and she had no doubt that he would still want the best for her now…. She needed to be strong so she, Robin, and Ea could move on. They could have more adventures in Sildar’s memory, and by the gods she’d be the best tiefling she could be for him. She’d make him proud. She looked back into the mirror. It was odd seeing her hair brushed once more after it being a mess for days on end. She was one step closer back to being her old self.

Had Sildar thought her hair was pretty? She didn’t know why she thought of these things. She had always looked upon the human as a dear friend ever since the day they rescued him. They had done so much for him, and he always returned every ounce of kindness in tenfold.

Sildar had been just like the knight Talnah read about growing up. The once in shining armor that saved princesses and slayed dragons. They defeated evil wherever they went, and made sure justice followed in their wake. Talnah hoped he had a happily ever after in the after life. She hoped…. She hoped that he was happy. She wanted to him to be happy above all else.

Eventually, the tiefling girl finished with everything she needed to take care of herself. She still looked like Talnah…. But something felt different. She still felt like a part of her was missing…. She stared at her reflection for a long time before yanking her gaze from the mirror.

Talnah left the room to join her friends in the common room.

Maybe she could take part in some dancing.


	6. The Worries of a Father

Let’s make one thing clear: Ardem Vellaam did not know the first thing about raising a child. He knew a lot less about raising one from infernal descent.

The infant babbled at him happily. Diana and he hadn’t had her for long, but she’d already become quite fond of the two of them. She loved grabbing at Ardem’s beard and when Diana created tiny images of butterflies and flowers with her magic. Little Talnah had become the biggest joy in both of their lives, and their wasn’t a single soul in the entire state that didn’t know of the Vellaam’s little miracle.

But Ardem was terrified. It wasn’t that his knew daughter was a tiefling, that alone brought worries about her safety. No, Ardem was afraid because she was an infant. Yes he had begged the gods for a child, and yes he was extremely grateful to have received this tiefling child, but he had no idea how to raise a human child, much less a tiefling one. How was he supposed to take care of her? What if she one day wished to meet her real parents? What if he did something wrong? What if he wasn’t ready for this?

Gods, he wasn’t ready for this.

Diana had gone to the kitchen to request some tea and left her husband with the baby. Before leaving she kissed his cheek and offered him a reassuring smile.

Diana was worried about raising the child herself, but she knew the fear of the gods had stricken her husband. The woman constantly tried to reassure him in little ways. When they went outside at night to gaze at the stars, she told him that Talnah stared at him the same way she looked at the stars. Whenever she would babble,Diana said it was Talnah’s way of saying that she loved them. Diana didn’t know if any of her words were helping, but she hoped they were. She knew her husband was going to be a wonderful father, he just needed to gain a little confidence boost.

Ardem stared down at Talnah as he held her. She seemed fixated on his face, and then the golden buttons on his shirt. It was amazing how tiny she was. Ardem’s hand took up more than half of her head and seeing this reminded Ardem of how much she depended on them. He brushed a thin tuft of white hair on her head back, and almost immediately she looked back up at him. Slowly, she smiled up at him and a laugh left her small chest. It sounded like little bells to Ardem and he loved it. He held Talnah up so that he was eye level with the small child and chuckled.

“What is it little one? Are you naturally this happy?” he asked, kissing her forehead. The man’s brown beard tickled the infant’s face, causing her to squeal in delight. She grabbed onto her father’s beard and knocked her tiny head against his. Arden had to admit that it hurt a bit, but he supposed she’d grow out of it…. Hopefully…… But for now, he could laugh it off, “Daddy’s very lucky you haven’t grown horns yet,” he chuckled, “Otherwise I don’t think these little interactions wouldn’t be going too well for me.”

The young tiefling just laughed joyously and gripped onto his short beard even tighter. Her laughter reached the ears of Diana, who was just reaching the top of the stairs. A smile crossed her lips as she entered the room where her husband and their young child were. “I see you two are enjoying your time together,” she smiled, “It’s nice to see you two bonding.”

A maid had been following Diana to the room. As the lady of the house sat, the girl sat a tray down on the table. “Thank you Genevieve,” Diana smiled. The girl bowed her head with a smile and turned to leave, but not before waving at the baby. Talnah smiled at her and then went back before snuggling into her father.

“What did I tell you? She loves you,” Diana said, her voice was still soft, but had undertones of ‘I told you so’ threaded within it. As she spoke, she started to pour a cup of tea. Ardem watched her porcelain fingers flutter to each ingredient. Diana was nimble, quick, and precise with everything she did, and an air of grace always seemed to follow her. Perhaps it was a result of her magical studies. He could still remember the first time he saw her in action. Her long, silky, black hair fluttering with every movement she made to avoid her teacher. Her emerald eyes had been so focused and unwavering. That had been the first moment he saw her, and he had sworn he’d become someone worthy to be with her.

Ardem was snapped out of his thoughts by the metal spoon clinking against the glass saucer. “Is it my turn already?” he asked, standing up from his chair. He handed the babbling Talnah over to his wife before sitting back down to fix her tea. It had become a fun little game for the couple. Remembering each other’s favorite teas and how to fix them. It was always a surprise to see which one they’d chosen for one another, but it was never unpleasant. As Ardem started to make his wife’s tea, he saw her pick up a bottle from the tray. She dripped some of the liquid on her wrist, waited a bit and then repeated the action. After waiting a second time, she held the bottle closer to the young tiefling, who eagerly latched on to it.

The new father had been so focused on the interaction that he almost overfilled his wife’s cup. Almost.

He loved this little family they were building together and he thanked the gods every day for putting everything in place. He wouldn’t trade this for anything. He sat the spoon down and pushed the cup closer to her. “I hope you like it my dear,” he smiled, “If I can’t get it right at this point, I am unworthy to be your husband.”

Diana laughed and used one hand to pull the tea closer to her. “I’m sure it’s perfect my darling. I’d trust you with teaching our little Tali how to make all of my favorite teas,” she smiled, “After all, you’ve become an expert at this point.” This made Ardem smile. He could image teaching their daughter all sorts of different teas and ways to prepare them. It would be such a wonderful way to bond with her.

The small tiefling child then let out a yawn and her eyes started to droop. “Well, it looks like someone is ready for bed,” Diana said, standing from her chair. The couple walked down the carpeted hallway to a tiny room. Inside was a white crib with a mobile mimicking the night sky hanging from the top. On the walls, tiny, fluffy griffins, deer, rabbits, and a various other small creatures pranced. A rocking chair with blankets sat with decorated quilts facing a (currently) blocked off window. Against one of the other walls was a dresser that also served as a changing station. Diana walked over to the crib and placed the small baby in the cib. The young parents watched the child drift off into sleep before exiting the room.

“Do you still think you are going to be a terrible father?” Diana asked softly, raising a questioning eyebrow.

“I never thought I’d be a terrible father… I just have concerns.”

“We all have concerns my noble paladin, but that doesn’t mean they will come true. You are going to be wonderful, you are already wonderful.”

Diana gently touched Ardem’s shoulder. It was a comforting gesture to the man. He was always amazed by how his wife was able to calm him no matter what was ailing him. To him, she was a miracle worker. He reached up to his shoulder and grabbed her hand. Nothing more needed to be said. The couple quietly walked back to their tea. From there, the two started discussing the endless possibilities of futures for their young daughter. The more they talked, the more confident the pair felt. Their little Talnah was already bright, all they needed to do was help her shine.

While Ardem Vellaam had no idea how to raise a child, but with his wife, he figured he could learn the ropes. He would do whatever it took for his young daughter to thrive in life.


	7. Haunted by Living Nightmares

Talnah bolted up in a cold sweat. She gasped for air as if she had been drowning and was struggling to fill up her lungs. After moment, the tiefling finally caught her breath, and she looked around. Ea was fast asleep as was Reina. There one human friend has a scroll covering her face. It appeared as if she had fallen asleep reading something. What that something was she didn’t know, but she couldn’t really spare the energy to think about what the text was either. But where was-?

“Mrow.”

There she was.

Talnah looked over at the druid. She had no idea why she was a cat again. Had she seen something? Someone? Talnah would prefer a something over a someone… She didn’t want them to …. to…. 

“Mrow?”

“No no…. I’m alright, just a nightmare… I’ll be fine,” Talnah said, trying to sound cheerful. But it was hard to sound cheerful when you had a dead man’s blood on your hands…. Talnah had believed she could save Melech. She believed that there was still hope for him. She believed that they could make him happy. Instead he was dead. She couldn’t do anything for him. The best she could do was leave him in his clocktower. Something he seemed to love….

Talnah was so lost in her own thoughts, she didn’t notice Robin hop onto a fallen log. Her silver eyes illuminating softly in the dark world of Shadowfell and keeping steady watch over them all. Talnah curled up around herself and held in a few whimpers. Nothing made sense. Shar didn’t seem to like her… But she hadn’t done anything! And that drow woman, the one with the pretty name, she’d refused to talk to Talnah as well. Then there was Melech, the lonely, betrayed, bitter tiefling in the tower. The one that had been scorned by Rhylor, he was dead because of them, not to mention Ea almost died. The vision of her face being burnt with acid still ate at Talnah’s memory. It was one of a few terrors she saw when she closed her eyes. It would have been her fault too. She froze. She had frozen up and it almost cost Ea her life. All because she felt sorry for a man and didn’t want to harm him….

An entirely different issue was the owl… man…. thing. No one else could see him! At least, she thought it was a him. Was she actually going crazy? Gods what was she supposed to do? Was there any spell she could cast that would get rid of him or was he a friend they should keep around? Talnah thought there was still good in everyone, something she still believed, but she was now realizing that not everyone could be saved. For some, it was already too late. But that still didn’t mean they deserved to die! Especially not by her hand! Yet here she was, crying over a dead man she barely knew, crying over the thought that her friend had almost died. Crying because…. Because she wanted to go home. She wanted to open her eyes, have this all be a bad dream and be with her family.

She missed home so much, more than she ever had before. Slowly, she glanced up at the three stars in the sky. Were her parents outside tonight? Were they watching the stars and wondering where their daughter was and if she’d come home? How terribly did they miss her? She meant to write to them before she got sucked into Shadowfell…. Surely they’d be waiting on a letter…. A letter, that may take a very long time to arrive… If something happened to her here, in Shadowfell, they would never know. They’d be waiting on a tiefling that was never coming home.

That thought was the one that made her lungs grasp for air violently. She was starting to feel sick again, and thinking about downing the alcohol in her bag no matter how much it burned. Surely a pain like that could numb this pain, would feel better than this pain. Another sob tore through her, echoing through the night. She couldn’t hold it in anymore. All she could do was cry, and cry, and cry, and cry. What else could she do?

In the middle of one of her sobs, she felt something warm and fuzzy nestle in between her arms, and a larger body move closer to her. Her breathing was still shallow and quick, but they seemed to soften.

“Stop crying,” Ea’s tired voice grumbled, “It’s not going to get you anywhere.”

Talnah sniffled and looked up at Ea, a tiefling whose upbringing was extremely different of her own, a tiefling who didn’t seem fazed by death. 

“You wanna get home right?” Ea asked, meeting Talnah’s gaze, “Then move past what happened. It works. Lock it away. Don’t dwell on it. Remember, put it in the Vault in your head and it’s gone. You lock it up and it never comes out. Ever.”

Talnah wiped her eyes and nodded. With Robin in her arms, she nestled closer to Ea, snot and tears getting all over the red tiefling’s clothing. Talnah could feel her tense before relaxing once more and letting out a sigh. Her thoughts were still racing, but she fought Ea’s corroded face and Melech’s lifeless body into the back corners of her mind, running as far away from them as she could. As Ea said, they were “In the Vault.”

“We’re getting back home,” she said softly, “We’re getting back to Sildar, I’m going to see my family, and we’ll all be alive.”

“That a girl!” Ea smiled, “Now you’re thinkin’ right. And what else are we gonna do?”

What else? What else was there? Wasn’t that the end goal for them?

“We’re gonna kick Rhylor’s sorry ass for sending us on this dumb mission,” Ea said.

“And for everyone he’s screwed over,” Talnah giggled.

“You mean everyone he’s double fucked over.”

“Mrrrower!” Robin mewed in agreement. Her tail swished back and forth looking up between the two tieflings and purring.

Then, Ea seemed to remember something, “Oh yeah. And Gobo. Can’t forget that bitch.”

At the mention of the tiny rat goblin’s name, Robin hissed and dug her claws into the dirt. Talnah laughed. Gobo was an entirely different story.

A yawn could be heard from the other side of Ea, and Reina sat up, scroll plopping in her lap. “Why are you guys still awake? Did I miss story session?” she yawned. Robin immediately perked her head up from in between the two tieflings to look at Reina, and sent a wink her way… Or what could be considered a wink for a cat.

“You didn’t miss much,” Ea said, “Promise.”

“Alright, but I’m gonna be looking for stories tomorrow!”

Talnah smiled. They could do this. She could do this.

Everything would be okay.

After all:

What was a fairytale without a happy ending?


	8. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a hopeful future... I just want our girls to be happy.

Three women sat in the garden in the Vellaam’s estate. They seemed relatively happy, sipping on tea and laughing every now and again as they swapped stories. However, they were an unusual group. Two tieflings and a human that was sometimes a cat, sometimes a panther, sometimes a flying snake, but most if the time was human.

A white gazebo stood proudly around them, shading the three women from the harsh sun.

“Oh I’m sure Jacar loved that Ea,” Robin teased, “His wife getting in a drunk bar fight with another bard for his honor. Real romantic.”

Ea scoffed and puffed out her chest, “It was the most romantic thing. I totally kicked his ass too. Jacar didn’t even ask me why I did it this time. We just have a silent understanding at this point. I fight someone, he sighs, I win. Then we cuddle and play music.”

“Well, you certainly seem to have a very happy marriage,” Talnah chirped, “I always knew it would last.”

“I think all of us could say the same for everyone here Tal,” Robin said leaning forwards on the table. The purple tiefling only offered a bashful smile, her wedding ring glinting as she lifted her cup to her lips.

“Yeah!” Ea agreed, “You two got married and junk too! I should know. I was there, drunk, but there.”

“You were drunk before the ceremony at all of our weddings,” Robin deadpanned, “Your’s included.”

“Buzzed,” Ea said, as if she were correcting an extremely important piece of information, “I was buzzed, then I got hammered at the after party.” Robin just rolled her eyes. Who could blame Ea though? It had been a time for joy and celebration! Celebration was welcomed whenever it came, and the weddings hadn’t been the only reasons they had either.

“Hey,” Ea said, “At least I didn’t drink at Talnah’s baby shower.”

“There wasn’t any alcohol at my baby shower,” Talnah frowned, “I only had tea, coffee, and water.” Talnah never really wanted such beverages at her own parties. On her adventures she’d seen what horrors alcohol could do. Many of those horrors involved Ea and Talnah wished she could forget them. She only had alcohol at her wedding because her beloved insisted the wine he bought wasn’t strong. But Ea always found a way….

“Speaking of the baby shower, where is the little guy anyways?” Robin asked. No sooner had Talnah opened her mouth than a maid called to her. She turned her head in confusion only to see a tiny figure toddling towards the gazebo, the maid that had called Talnah close behind. The purple tiefling stood up and went to meet them halfway. The child reached up to his mother who picked him up without hesitation. She thanked the other woman before heading back to the gazebo. She then turned to Robin and smiled. “He’s right here! Cascius just woke up from his nap. Usually he sleeps in for a bit longer, but I suppose he figured out his two favorite aunts were coming today,” she said, kissing her son on his forehead.

“Awww, we’re his favorite aunts!” Ea grinned, then she went rooting through her bag, “And favorite aunt number one has the perfect present for him.” The red tiefling pulled out a dagger with a blue gem on the hilt, “I found this in the last town Jacar and I went to. It’ll be perfect for when he starts hunting down goblins and all of their descendants.” She started handing the dagger over to the infant, to which Talnah laughed nervously and pushed the knife away. 

“That was very thoughtful of you Ea, but I think that little Cascius is still a little too young for that.”

 

“What are you talking about? He’s totally ready,” Ea assured, gesturing to the small tiefling child with an griffon pacifier in his mouth. 

This is where Robin thought it was best she cut in before Ea somehow slipped Cascius the dagger. “Hey! I got an idea, we can all go to the market and look around. Then Ea, you can get something for Cas that isn’t a dagger.” Ea seemed slightly betrayed by this idea, but agreed a bit disgruntled. On the other hand, Talnah squealed and nodded excitedly. She ran inside to grab her “baby mobile” which was simply a pram with anything she could possibly think of that she may need. Bottles, toys, diapers, snacks. In short Talnah was an overly prepared mom, but no one could really stop her.

The three women walked together into the market, laughing and telling stories. As soon as they stepped on the premise, each one stopped. For a split second, they were reminded of a time when they had gone off on an adventure, leaving Sildar in an inn as they looked for anyone who knew about poisons, and later they had been witness to a fight between Vallus and a wizard who wanted to sell Talnah and Ea off into a slave trade. All of that seemed like eons ago, but in reality, it had only been a few years.

Ea seemed to come out of the trance first. She blinked a few times before looking around, eyes settling on a small variety stand. “Hey,” she said, causing Robin and Talnah to snap out of it as well, “Why don’t we go over there. Seems like it has a little something for everyone.”

And a little something for everyone there was. The shop had books, toys, daggers, knives, clothing, all sorts of things. Ea was immediately drawn to the daggers while Talnah was looking at things that would be appropriate for her child, in other words, everything but the weapons. Robin spent her time just browsing, clutching her coin purse, not really wanting to spend anything.

“Oh look at this little griffon toy!” Talnah squealed, “Oh I have to get it for my little Cascius.” She held the little toy slightly and cooed at her child. Meanwhile, Ea walked up to the two, something behind her.

“Do you know what else is good for him?” she asked, a wide grin on her face.

“Nope,” Robin said, going by Ea and taking a knife from behind her back, “Nope, nope, nope. No knives for babies Ea.”

“Oh come on!” Ea huffed, “I got my first knife when I was born! Cas is gonna be a late bloomer!”

“Well, thankfully he can use magic like his mother.”

Talnah giggled at the exchange, going to pay for the stuffed animal. After all the purchases had been made, they put them into the “baby mobile” and headed back to the manner. Talnah put her child in his crib in the nursery along with the tiny griffon. She watched him babble excitedly as he played with the new toy.

“I still think he would have liked a knife,” Ea pouted. Robin just nudged Ea (hard) but said nothing.

Talnah turned to her friends and smiled, “Perhaps you could crash here for a while. I could get Cas’ father to watch him while we go out on some adventures, just like old times. We can even just go camping and have fun around a campfire or visit friends in other villages.” The purple tiefling smiled hopefully at the other two.

“That does sound enticing,” Robin smiled, “You sure you can spend being away from Cas for a while?”

“Yeah, he might need a knife to protect himself.”

That sentence earned Ea another nudge from Robin.

“Well… As long as his father is here, I see no reason that I should worry too much, and it’s not like I still can’t communicate with him.”

“Then I say we do it,” Robin said, “We’ll sleep here tonight and then start planning our trip tomorrow.”

“I’m sure it won’t be too terribly long, and we’ll be back soon,” Talnah agreed.

“On the way, I’m going to buy all the daggers for Cas so he can be the most badass baby around,” Ea said. The swearing earned Ea a bit of a look from Talnah, but that didn’t stop the girls’ plans. The three women stayed up for the rest of the night planning their little trip and taking care of Cascius when it called for it. They also spent time braiding hair and sharing more stories. In short, they were reliving old times (even if they were only a few years ago) and those times were stories to pass. They didn’t mind reliving them. They needed to practice for when they wanted to tell their stories to Cascius and anyone else who came along.


End file.
